Rennes’ Opera and townhall

The Town Hall on one side, the Opera House on the other. Take a look at these two buildings and feel the connection between them.  After the fire of 1720, which swept through the northern half of the city, the king’s architect decided to combine the town hall, the presidial building and the clock tower into a single structure. He thus imagined a royal square, directly inspired by the Vendôme square in Paris, typical of the Age of Enlightenment! Created more than a century after the Town Hall, Rennes Opera may be one of the smallest in France, but it is above all architect Charles Millardet’s daring response to the traditions of the time. Just look at the City Hall, with its typical 18th-century curved facade. And, facing it, the cheeky rotunda Opera House, a beautiful Italian-style theater, which seems to want to fit into the square! At the time, people would have preferred a good old French-style theater! The architect, a little too forward-thinking, even added promenade galleries, which you can still see on either side. It made the headlines, but didn’t catch on at all, and the stores had to be closed! The only person who really liked it was Stendhal, who praised the opera’s charms and originality in his “Mémoires d’un touriste”. We’ll now follow Hermine street, on the right of the town hall.